Seattle City Councilmember Bruce Harrell

On May 13th Councilmember Harrell held a public comment session in respect to the proposed reconfirmation of Seattle City Light Superintendent Carrasco. Councilmember Harrell was joined by Councilmembers Richard Conlin, Jean Godden, Sally Clark, Richard McIver, and Tim Burgess. Employees, rate payers and concerned citizens attended the meeting with seventeen of them supplying meaningful testimony.

Councilmember Harrell started the session by encouraging all in attendance to testify and that people should make him aware of any concerns of retaliation resulting from critical comments because there are laws in place to deal with that issue, and he will continue to be a strong advocate for employee rights.

A significant majority of the people testifying were in favor of reconfirming. However, there were a few members who were opposed to the reconfirmation based on their personal observations.

The audience was filled with business leaders, union members, employees and members from the utility industry, all of whom cited various opinions. Many supported Carrasco for his efforts regarding improved customer service and for the type of visionary thinking and decisive leadership necessary to drive high performance. A small number of employees cited their criticisms of his leadership which includes his use of outside contractors and consultants and his personal style of leadership relative to, in their opinion, more effective styles based on their years of employment experience at City Light. Councilmember Harrell is continuing his extensive outreach in order to provide City Council with the necessary tools to make a full evaluation of Superintendent Carrasco.

The reconfirmation process continues on this week with Councilmember Harrell making trips out to City Light’s North and South Service Centers to engage employees at those facilities.

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